Thankfully, there is the option to use a gamepad. Unfortunately, the only supported gamepad is the Xbox 360 controller. I was able to jury-rig my system and get my PS3 Sixaxis to work with Capsized, but it required multiple system restarts and lower overall performance in order to get it working properly. My hands, however, thanked me for doing this, and the console controls felt surprisingly intuitive.

Capsized is a bit more difficult than I had expected, and I noticed a pretty steep difficulty spike starting at the sixth mission. Mission six asks you to bring down a series of "pursuers," which are extremely strong aliens that can fly, surround themselves with powerful magnetic shields that absorb anything you shoot at them, and hurl flaming energy balls at you. They seem a bit much, especially at this point in the game. I can see maybe one of these being a boss of this stage, but, depending on which difficulty you select, you'll have to take down three or four of these things in order to progress. After this point, the stages get really long, meaning that running out of lives will cause massive backtracking. But the larger level layouts allow a lot more exploration. If you've ever played the old 2D Sonic the Hedgehog games, you'll remember having multiple possible paths you could choose to get through each level. Capsized has this quality in its later stages.

Completing each level results in a star rating based on time, difficulty setting, lives lost, and how many secrets you managed to uncover. You can replay levels in order to improve your star rating. These stars add up, and will unlock bonus Arcade modes like Time Trial, Deathmatch, and Survival. There's even a mode called Armless, in which you're not allowed any weapons. There are two-player modes, like Duel and Co-op, but if you don't have two controllers, you'll have to share a single keyboard. Awkward!

The 2D platformer is not dead. Capsized proves that current-gen design philosophies and gameplay mechanics can be applied to this ancient genre, making it feel fresh once again. There is a lot of innovation in this title, and an artwork style that you'll want to stop and stare at. Not bad for a mere ten dollars, I would say. I just hope Capsized can be patched to support more controller types in the future.

By
Josh Wirtanen
CCC Contributing Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.0

GraphicsBeautiful hand-drawn artwork that is so insanely detailed it will actually distract you from the obstacles in the game.

2.8

ControlGet a controller or get carpal tunnel.

3.9

Music / Sound FX / Voice ActingGreat sound FX and music that fits the world of Capsized perfectly.

3.0

Play ValueThe twelve campaign missions go by way too fast. However, there is always the option to go back and earn more stars, and the unlockable Arcade modes bring added value.

3.4

Overall Rating - FairNot an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.